Sea Launch's prime contractor for launch system ground support, the Design Bureau for Transport Machinery (DBTM) of Moscow, Russia, completes fabrication of a new gas deflector for the Zenit-3SL launch system. The gas deflector (also known as the flame deflector), is a one-of-a-kind, 280 metric ton steel structure, including truss supports, that directs engine exhaust away from the platform and controls the acoustic environment. DBTM managed construction of the replacement structure near the Baltisky shipyard in St. Petersburg, Russia, where the original deflector was manufactured in the 1990s.

Here, the new gas deflector is loaded onto a cargo vessel, the Thor Amalie, which is scheduled to deliver it to Sea Launch Home Port in mid-August. The new deflector will be installed at the stern of the Odyssey Launch Platform, beneath the launch pad.

(DBTM photos for Sea Launch)

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